


Umino Iruka's Guide to the Wonders of the Elemental Nations

by TBCat



Category: Naruto
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Gen, Implied Sexual Content, Missing-Nin
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-09-12
Updated: 2019-06-07
Packaged: 2019-07-11 14:50:41
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 6
Words: 8,815
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15974579
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TBCat/pseuds/TBCat
Summary: Uzumaki Naruto fails the Academy Graduation Exam, but Mizuki tells him the secret way to graduate.Its a Lie.Then Mizuki tells Naruto that he's a demon.Then Mizuki tells Konoha that Iruka was the traitor the whole time.Its a Lie.(But who will believe a Demon.)





	1. Chapter 1

Naruto charges through the underbrush blindly. Iruka taught him that ninja move through the tree branches. Naruto doesn’t know how to balance on tree branches. Naruto looks at the headband gripped tightly in his hand; Iruka is-. Naruto scrambles forward in a zigzag pattern. He doesn’t think about the trail of red he leaves behind him.

 

The forest is hazy. Iruka can’t lie down. If Iruka lies down, then he won’t get up, so Iruka can’t lie down. Iruka presses his hands against his aching, dripping ribcage and bites down on a shout. He struggles forward. The forest is hazy, and keeps trying to trip Iruka. Iruka tries to think: can he afford to let go and reach into his bag for a blood pill. Iruka struggles forward. The forest tilts and straightens unpredictably. Iruka moves forward.

 

Naruto trips on a root and rolls through a thornbush. He shouts in pain and anger, but cuts himself off with a quiet whimper. His shoulder aches, drips, stings with red blood. Naruto grunts through his nose and struggles to his feet. Naruto can see the red lights of the Flower District peeking through the trees. Naruto swallows a whining complaint and pushes forward into a sprint. He still holds Iruka’s headband in a tight fist. Naruto stuffs it into his jacket pocket to free his arms, and raises his hands into the air in a reckless wave. A shinobi usually patrols through the Flower District after midnight; everytime Naruto tries to hide amongst the short skirts and drunk men past sundown he is always found by midnight. Naruto yells for attention. 

 

Iruka is a model chunin. He serves as a school teacher at the Hokage’s request, but he was trained for combat, and he is always ready for combat. Three, Six, Nine: that's the rule that Iruka was taught, and it's what he teaches his students. Iruka keeps three kunai, six shuriken, and nine senbon on hand at all times. Iruka keeps three soldier pills, six blood pills, and nine meters of bandages on hand at all times. Iruka keeps three explosive tags, six smoke tags, and nine meters of ninja wire on hand at all times. Iruka collapses against the only tree that isn’t tilting at an impossible angle. His side stings, and Iruka looks through the dark green miasma of forest to stare blankly at the trail of dark red that leads from Iruka’s position on the forest floor. Running won’t help at this point; Mizuki would have caught up by now if he was in pursuit. Instead, Iruka counts his breathes and counts the leaves that swim through the starry sky above him. Iruka has three soldier pills, six blood pills, and nine meters of bandages. 

He knows basic field medicine, and the most concerning injury Iruka has right now is blood loss. His rib feels scratched but not broken. Iruka counts his breathe, and moves slowly. He can’t mess up, and he can't fall asleep. If Iruka falls asleep, Iruka isn’t sure that he will wake up. Iruka has two soldier pills, three blood pills, and three meters of bandages. 

Iruka grips the rough textured bark of the tree he leans on. Every edge of the bark stands out to Iruka’s touch. The leaves in the sky above drift in a gentle breeze. They move impossibly slowly, and every single leaf is sharply edged into a single moving target. Iruka tightly grips a drawn kunai.

When did Iruka draw a kunai. 

The forest wraps around the village, impossibly tall Hashirama Oaks encircling the School, the Residential District, the Market District, the Flower District, and encroaching into the neatly groomed public park that stretches all the way into the center of the village’s Administerial District. Iruka traces the cracks in the tree he leans against. He must be near the border of the Residential and Market Districts. Iruka’s apartment complex is approximately one block away from the forest. The Market closes at dark, but sometimes convenience stores edging against the Flower District stay open late. 

Iruka needs a healthy shinobi. Naruto ran towards the village proper, but Mizuki ran after him with only a dislocated arm and grazed hip. Iruka counts the distances towards the village Districts from his position and tries to remember Naruto’s many successful exploits and juvenile escapes. 

Only teachers, civilian and shinobi, live in Iruka’s apartment complex. The shinobi barracks are deeper in the Residential District, or else a shinobi lives somewhere where the public can’t find them. Iruka looks down at his side. The bandages are a mess of congealed black in the dark of night, but blood is always conspicuous in the safety of the village. The Residential District is closest. Iruka stands and starts moving. Artificial chakra shakes through Iruka’s veins in a motivating rhythm. 

 

Naruto wakes to a bright room and white bedding softer than his ratty futon. He can’t focus his eyes, which doesn’t make sense, because Naruto was just running through the dark forest with more serious purpose and rush than escaping from his greatest pranks. Iruka told Naruto to run! 

Naruto sits up and breaths in heaving gasps, in and out, and in out inoutinout-. A large calloused hand presses against Naruto’s back and a quiet voice speaks smoothly into Naruto’s ear. 

“Breathe,” he says, “Everything is safe, now.” 

Naruto follows the rhythm that the man's hand rubs against his back. The touch of another person feels weird, and different than Iruka’s slippery-with-blood farewell. They feel warm, and strong, and secure. Naruto wants to be that. He breathes, and his eyes focus to take in a standard hospital room. Naruto has never been to the hospital, except once he pranked a doctor that was stealing morphine by replacing all of the hospital scrubs with lace pinafores. Naruto swings his gaze around to the stranger. They are wearing a mask, like a health conscious nurse, but the headband slanted across one eye and the wild, unrestrained silver hair make Naruto suspect that they are just a lower level ninja that the Old Man conned into watching Naruto.

“Where’s Iruka?” Naruto asks.

The stranger withdraws. He pulls his hand away and moves to a hard plastic chair across the room in a lazy sprawl. Naruto keeps counting his breaths in his head. Its normal for people to keep their distance from Naruto.

Mizuki even explained why; Naruto is a demon. Naruto’s bandaged arm stings, but he ignores it. The stranger takes his time stretching in the plastic chair. Naruto reaches a hand into his pockets. He still has Iruka’s headband. 

“Where’s Iruka!” Naruto demands. 

“Maa, relax,” the stranger says. He isn’t acting caring anymore. “We found you at the edge of Flower District, and you were brought to the hospital,” the stranger says. He isn’t answering Naruto’s question. 

“Where’s Iruka?” Naruto asks, with an edge of desperation. 

The stranger straightens in their seat and leans forward to lock gazes with Naruto in his one eye. “Mizuki explained how Iruka turned traitor. We haven’t found him yet, but Mizuki is getting care from the hospital, and we will find Iruka, soon,” the stranger says. 

Naruto jumps out of the bed towards the window, with one hand outstretched to jerk the flimsy hospital window lock. He keeps his other hand around Iruka’s headband in his pocket, and ignores the pull of sore muscles and tight bandages in his arm. His fingers flick against plastic for less than a breathe, and then Naruto is pressed against the hospital mattress by a muscled stranger who plants a knee to pin Naruto’s flailing body. 

“Let go! I need to see the Old Man! Idiot! Idiot!” Naruto yells and strains and flails. The stranger presses Naruto down so he can’t escape and leans one silver eye over Naruto’s red, yelling face. 

“Calm down,” he says. “You’re safe."


	2. Chapter 2

Iruka finds his apartment complex deserted, but he climbs the stairs towards his apartment instead of running in search of a fellow shinobi. He won’t get very far, anyway, not while bleeding out, and Iruka keeps an emergency first aid kit in his apartment that will have more supplies than the field kit in his vest.

Kariuki is exiting the apartment across from his when Iruka reaches the landing. She is clutching a disorganized stack of worksheets to her chest, and fiddling with the lock to her door. Iruka breathes a sigh of relief through his aches. Kariuki is a kind and experienced shinobi who helped Iruka find this apartment and adjust to the learning curve of teaching rambunctious pre-genin. Normally she likes to be asleep by now, swaddled in a silk nightgown gifted to her by a past student from a rich merchant family, but Iruka knows that he can trust her. 

Iruka thought that he could trust Mizuki.

He ignores the thought and steps forward determinedly. Iruka can’t straighten up past his injuries, but he keeps his steps even as he moves towards Kariuki.

“Kariuki,” Iruka calls out, urgently, “thank-” Iruka is stopped as Kariuki turns in alarm and ungraded student work flutters to the ground in a noisy, crinkling rustle. “What,” he asks questioningly, flatly. Kariuki specializes in infiltration and information-gathering, and Iruka knows that a year-long exercise for her class is to try and surprise her.

“Stop Umino,” Kariuki says firmly. She is wearing the flak jacket uniform that she hates, that Iruka knows she hates, and her hand is reaching towards her belt pouch. Kariuki isn’t even bothering to gather her dropped grading, but Kariuki is the one who beat the importance of paperwork protocols into Iruka’s head when he first became a member of the Academy Staff. 

“Kariuki, Mizuki-” Iruka tries to say urgently, past rising paranoia.

“Stop, Umino,” Kariuki says. Iruka’s breath seems to stop with her next words. “Mizuki already told everyone about what you did,” Kariuki says. Her words aren’t making sense, and Iruka’s thoughts flow sluggishly trying to comprehend them. 

Kariuki flings out her hand and three shuriken arc towards Iruka’s still form. Iruka notes absently that her form is off, and is surprised because Kariuki's footwork is always perfect during academy field exercises. It is appreciated when Iruka has to lead weapons training for the different grade levels that he never feels a need to correct Kariuki’s stance. Training has Iruka sidestepping the off-center attack and eyeing attack angles even as Iruka stutters through Kariuki’s words.

“After all that talk about treating every student equally,” Kariuki says thickly as she palms a kunai in each hand, “you use the demon-boy yourself to betray Konoha.” Kariuki tenses her leg muscles in preparation to press her attack, and Iruka watches her compensate for her uneven footing while his brain tries to understand her words.

Iruka needs to get to his apartment. He leaps forward and feints around Kariuki’s jab as she charges forward herself. It is easy to grab her extended arm and flip Kariuki’s down the stairs using her own momentum. It is so hard, even as muscle memory acts for Iruka.

He dashes into his apartment and uses his conveniently dripping blood to activate the seals Iruka prepared. It is standard training to trap your place of rest, but Iruka struggles to believe that he is using his seals against another Konoha shinobi. Iruka breathes through the confusion and focuses on the ache of his immediate injuries. Iruka was stationed at the academy to teach fieldwork, but even though Iruka serves Konoha loyalty he always imagined he might have the chance to request training to become a Tokubetsu. Iruka trusts his seals for at least as long as it will take to do some minor first-aid and process what just happened. 

He makes it out of the village. Iruka sneaks out of the village and dashes towards the nearest harbor city, even as his heart cries at leaving Konoha. 

Iruka runs, and covers his trail, and grips a backpack provisioned for an extended length mission, and cries silently because Konoha thinks that Iruka is the traitor instead of Mizuki.

* * *

 

Konoha thinks Iruka is the traitor instead of Mizuki, and Naruto stairs at the stained ceiling of his apartment in shock. 

Naruto is healed. Naruto is fully recovered and released from the hospital. People have switched from treating Naruto with fear to treating him with pity, because Konoha thinks that Iruka tricked Naruto. 

Naruto always said that he would be Hokage, one day, even while being sold rotten food or being shoved past in the street. Naruto knew that he wanted to be Hokage, because Naruto doesn’t have a family and therefore all of Konoha is his family. Naruto was going to be Hokage, and show the entire village that he deserved to be part of their family.

Iruka saw it before anyone else, and now the village has switched all their anger and mistrust towards Iruka like a scared stray cat. Naruto curls around the scratched headband he smuggled in his pockets and tries to accept that being Hokage will be harder than he imagined it as a little kid. 

Now, Naruto has to become Hokage, because his family is the entire village, and that includes Iruka. Even if everyone else has been tricked into thinking that Iruka was the traitor and that Mizuki deserves to walk around like a smug hero, Naruto will get strong enough to bring Iruka back and protect him instead of the other way around. 

First, though, Naruto has to get through training from the white haired bastard that first bought Mizuki’s lie and then didn’t let Naruto fix it in time. The Old Man said that Naruto was a genin, but out of pity instead of belief like Iruka. Naruto just has to let the fool from the hospital be his jounin teacher. 

It's a new kind of poison the village tries to force down Naruto’s throat; the sudden pity instead of hate, the fake care instead of apathy. 

So Naruto wears a shiny new headband, and keeps Iruka’s carefully tucked into Gama-chan’s lining with all the rest of his money. Naruto isn’t used to having important things, but he needs to keep Iruka’s headband safe if he wants to return it.

Keeping things secret isn’t hard, not when Naruto is used to good things being quickly taken or ruined if shown to the village. That is why Naruto will become Hokage, so that he is strong enough to show everyone the truth, and actually be believed. After all, everyone loves Sasuke, and everyone believed Sasuke about his brother, because Sasuke is strong even when he is a bastard. 

Sasuke and Sakura are probably waiting at the training ground just like Kakashi said to. Naruto stares at his water-stained ceiling and wonders how he is going to be Kakashi’s student when Kakashi is the reason Iruka’s name is being whispered like Naruto’s used to be. Naruto needs to be Kakashi’s student so that he can be a genin like Iruka wanted, and become strong enough to be the Hokage and fix everything. 

Kakashi said he was going to test them, but Iruka already tested and approved Naruto. Naruto thinks that probably matters more than Kakashi. 

Naruto gets up and trudges out of his apartment anyway. Naruto has to be a genin to become Hokage, and Naruto has to become Hokage. He grabs a bag filled with some basics on the way out. Naruto will at least have some fun pranking his new teacher, considering that Kakashi is a lazy brute who can’t see the truth or a prank even with his one remaining eye.  

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hmm, I actually wanted this to start moving more towards humorous misadventures, but I also really wanted to show this exposition?
> 
> Either way, I know it seems all terrible now, but remember that the pendulum always swings!
> 
> I really like writing genin Naruto, because there is an interesting immaturity balanced against perceptiveness? Also, at this point he attaches so quickly and easily, it's crazy to try and characterize.
> 
> (Also, instead of using the common Academy Teacher Suzume, I introduced an OC. It was for conflict/tension considering her potential unknown abilities, but keep in mind that we have only seen chunin level abilities currently.)


	3. Chapter 3

Iruka checks his pack of both legitimate and stolen goods. He stands at the choppy inlet that isolates the Land of Waves, and in the distance a light morning fog barely reveals the edge of land that Iruka is heading towards. Water walking can be arduous on calm water, but Iruka can’t afford the trail of even a smuggler’s boat.

He steps forward with a light push of chakra to balance on the water’s surface and begins slowly making his way forward. In his hand, Iruka holds two already opened ration bars and tries to rationalize that if it tastes sweaty when he finally eats then it could only improve the flavor.

He reaches land at the end of his stamina. Iruka hides himself at the base of a tree under a simple tarp and tries to sleep. The air is wet and cold, but at least there isnt any wind to slide between Iruka’s clothes. The forest is the old wet growth of the wild, and Iruka isn’t worried about any travelers finding him. The only travelers that go to Wave anymore are desperate, shady, or both, and Iruka isn’t close enough to the main path to be stumbled upon.

* * *

 

Naruto stares at the garden. The old grandmother behind him pets the small dog strangled in her arms and gives Naruto, Sakura, and Sasuke a close-eyed smile. Naruto didn’t know that people could own this much land for their own garden. He keeps Mr. Ukki and a few friends in small pots hidden throughout his apartment where they can survive. The old lady lives in a small traditional style house near the training grounds, and behind the squat stone walls that hide her house is a backyard the size of The Academy’s training grounds. Every couple of meters is a new plot of soil filled with young sprouting vegetables and tubers.

“Come on, idiot,” Sakura growls, “haven’t you ever helped in the garden!” Sasuke has already disdainfully wandered as far from Sakura as possible, but he doesn’t seem to be actually pulling any weeds. Naruto wonders if the bastard even knows how.

“Don’t worry Sakura,” Naruto says, “I’m great with plants! I’ll finish this whole garden in no time and then become the best ninja ever!” Naruto makes sure to smile at Sakura with all his teeth showing. She scoffs at him and then goes back to counting the petals of a dandelion she pulled.

Naruto doesn’t get why girls love flowers, when they just take energy from helpful plants. At least dandelions are edible. He crouches besides a plot of daikon and greets them with a quiet, “Hello, I’m Uzumaki Naruto.”

The plants are well spaced for growing, but they obviously have been left alone for a long time, too. The old lady did say that her husband used to take care of the house and garden before he got too old. Naruto gets to work pulling weeds, and pruning dead leaves, and watering dry patches in the garden.

He has to finish enough missions to be recognized by the village, and then Naruto can bring Iruka back!

* * *

 

Iruka doesn’t jump across the tree branches. It would be quicker, but it's also the first place any hunter ninja might check for Iruka. Instead, Iruka tucks his headband and flak jacket in the bottom of his bag, and changes into an old pair of fisherman's pants and shirt he inherited from his father. Iruka follows the deer paths in the forest and keeps his walk quiet but audible. Whenever he hears a stream or river, he splashes through the water, and Iruka calmly doubles back on himself whenever he gets lost or turned around. He will not provide a clear scent or chakra trail to follow, and he will not allow any observers to suspect that he is a missing-nin.

It doesn’t work. Iruka notices that he is being followed after he crosses the main path into Wave but doesn’t leave the forest. His follower is comfortable switching between the tree branches and the forest floor. Iruka tries subtly turning his path in circles and leaving natural looking traps of dry brush behind him. The follower doesn’t make a sound. Iruka instead notices the wildlife scatter or go silent without any apparent cause. When Iruka fakes falling down a small hill hidden by a line of undergrowth, he catches the edge of a short robe hiding in the trees. Iruka collapses in a clearing with a groan that is only partially faked. Then, he fingers a kunai hidden in his sleeve and waits for the follower to reveal themselves.

* * *

 

Most of the D ranks that Bakashi assigns Naruto and his teammates seem fake. They're just household chores. Naruto completes them with fake exuberance, and kindly chats with the thankful clients. After all, Naruto has to complete this to be hokage, and it's not the civilians’ fault that Mizuki managed to trick the people in charge.

Occasionally, Bakashi has Naruto, Sakura, and Sasuke spar against each other and then tells them everything they did wrong. Naruto loves hearing that Sasuke isn’t perfect, but he isn’t actually learning anything from Bakashi, either. He tries asking Sakura, but she just yells about Bakashi not teaching them right. Naruto isn’t going to ask Bakashi, when he so obviously can’t be trusted.

This D-Rank mission actually feels like it is teaching Naruto something, though. He hates it, and he currently has scratches on every limb, but Naruto proudly holds up the ball of ninja wire that contains Tora the Demon Cat for Sakura and Sasuke to look at. They seem surprised that Naruto caught the cat. Naruto is more surprised that Tora avoided Naruto’s syrup trap, but after he tricked Sasuke into trying to fight the cat it was a lot easier to direct Tora into a wire pit.

Sakura wacks Naruto and grabs the cat from him. She quickly begins walking to the mission center talking about how to properly care for an animal. Naruto ignores her. Everyone was very clear that Tora was a demon, and Naruto is already familiar with how people think demons should be treated. Instead, Naruto thinks about his past missions. Are weeds and vegetables actually helpful to being a ninja? Catching Tora forced Naruto to improvise some new traps.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> If I decide to abandon a story I would let you know. 
> 
> I am NOT abandoning this story. However, it will consistently update slowly, because this is what I write to relax and I have a million other interests + very little free time.
> 
> Thank you for your patience and for reading!


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I've been really excited for this chapter for a while, but also really struggling with the second half of it? I finally feel like its getting somewhere, but it's also longer than expected so I'm splitting it into two chapters. Expect another update within the next week.

Iruka lies still for almost a minute. He stays still as if he passed out, and keeps his hand on the kunai hidden in his sleeve. Iruka’s follower doesn’t take the bait and approach Iruka physically. Instead, Iruka hears the slightest whistle of thrown senbon, and he quickly rolls out of the way of the projectiles. Iruka leaps to his feet and runs to the side to try and reclaim the high ground, but his opponent leaps up into the trees and sends another flurry of senbon towards Iruka’s path. Iruka slides to a stop and deflects the single senbon that might still have hit him. 

His weight is shifted low anyways to help him stop. Iruka shifts forwards to grab a handful of the discarded senbon in a roll and toss them up towards the figure in the treeline. His opponent smoothly drops unders the path of the senbon, but Iruka is already leaping forwards from behind them. He brings his kunai forward in a decisive jab towards his opponent. 

It doesn’t connect. Iruka watches his opponent shift their weight and spin around to the outside of Iruka’s strike. Iruka ducks the jab of bare senbon towards the back of his neck; he tries to spin around towards his opponent in a leg-sweep. Instead, Iruka’s leg strikes the trailing edge of his opponent’s silk kimono. 

Iruka disengages and leaps up to connect to the vertical bark of the nearby tree as he deflects another set of thrown senbon. His breath mists outwards as his opponent lands and throws themselves back up into the trees in turn. Iruka drags his kunai through the bark in a swift character before leaping towards the flicker of his opponent’s kimono. 

His opponent has already leapt forwards, and Iruka reflects a weak kick as his opponent sails past. Iruka lands on a low branch as the opponent has twisted to face Iruka and swung themselves onto a higher branch. They’ve only used throwing needles so far, and Iruka hasn’t noticed any distinguishing features about their kimono. He strikes the tree he is on aggressively and then leaps up after his opponent. 

They dodge sideways to another tree before Iruka can strike at them, and Iruka doesn’t bother trying to overreach with his kunai. Instead, Iruka pulls his arms into a guard position just in time to deflect a series of senbon towards different nerve clusters. Iruka slashes the last senbon out of the air, jerks his kunai out of the tree branch, and leaps after his opponent. He can see the frost trails of their breaths in the air, but Iruka focuses on the barely noticeable muscle movements of his opponent’s shoulders beneath their kimono. 

Iruka chases the opponent through a series of trees before correctly predicting their dodge and landing on the same branch. Iruka leaps forwards with his kunai aimed towards his opponent’s collarbone, but they slide their leg up into the air and fall backwards out of reach. 

The opponent fell into a mirror smooth layer of ice stretched across the trunk face in front of Iruka. Iruka withdraws his arm and listens carefully for more senbon without removing his eyes from the ice in front of him. 

“Sorry,” the opponent says as their masked face wavers into view in the ice. Iruka flies through a series of hand signs to make sure that he isn’t under a genjutsu and then to activate his trap. He recognizes the mask as belonging to the Mist Village Hunter Ninja, but Iruka knows that active hunter-nin are prohibited from engaging the ninja of other villages without risking war; this must be a missing ninja. 

Senbon fly towards Iruka from behind him and each side simultaneously, but Iruka has already tipped himself to the side and released the chakra holding his feet to the tree. Iruka cartwheels off the tree branch towards the ground as the senbon slide past each other with a delicate ring, and focuses on channeling his chakra outwards towards the series of seals he has been carefully carving into the forest. 

A wavering line of script bounces between tree trunks before closing on Iruka, and Iruka breathes slowly as he feels the border seal solidify. The senbon have cautiously stopped, and Iruka can see a pattern of ice-mirrors that parallels the trees Iruka landed on long enough to mark with a seal. 

“It’s ok,” Iruka says with his most fake, mission-desk smile, “we seem to have trapped each other.” The hazy gesture of a kimono and glint of a senbon that shone across each patch of ice in different scales wavers and coalesces into the solid image of Iruka’s opponent in the closest ice mirror. 

“I could still strike you down now?” the figure says. Iruka can’t see their face, but they look slim beneath their kimono, and their voice carries the reedy hesitance of every teenager Iruka has ever taught or been on a field team with. Iruka gambles.

“Not without activating my seals,” Iruka bluffs confidently. It's only a barrier-seal, and if his opponent actually attacked then Iruka would have to defend or take the hit. “How about you just explain why you were following me, instead?” Iruka asks.

The figure is silent for a long minute. Iruka sweats with the effort of maintaining his seal and his bluff. Finally, his opponent seems to melt out of the mirror with a set of senbon held pointed upwards. Iruka knows three throwing techniques starting from that position, but the intent is obvious. Iruka drops his hands and the barrier seal as he reverses his grip on his kunai. It's easy enough to fight defensively with a kunai, but the symbolism of Iruka dropping his guard position and changing his grip should be just as clear. “My lord has been hired by the merchant Gato, and he asked me to follow you to make sure that Konoha wasn’t interfering with Wave,” the opponent says. 

Iruka has dealt with enough shifty children to recognize misleading language. He ignores it and focuses on the information that he can use. “I’m not from Konoha,” Iruka says, “I’m a missing-nin.” The words taste like ash in his mouth, but Iruka is careful not to hesitate or stutter. “But if Gato is still hiring, maybe I can tell him how to keep Konoha out of Wave.” It's an empty promise; Iruka doesn’t want to do anything to act against Konoha’s interests, but he knows that the shame of Uzushio's destruction is still so heavy that only a current mission request would get even an active team assigned anywhere close to Wave. “Call me Umino,” Iruka adds; it's a common enough name in countries that border the ocean.

* * *

 

Gato does choose to hire Umino. Zabuza calls him a fool to his face, but they knew how foolish their employer was when they were first hired. Haku makes sure to carry extra supplies on themselves in case they and Zabuza have to flee the Land of Waves without warning. Zabuza demands that Umino be given the next wet-work assignment, then, as a test. Gato agrees with unnecessary glee. 

Haku watches Umino bow with careful respect as Gato assigns his mission. Gato’s palace is little more than a glorified farmhouse, and the merchant has been spending the majority of his money on his own protection or assassinating rivals. Umino’s face is still, and he doesn’t show any visible hesitation at being asked to take over the next assassination. Haku covertly signals Zabuza from behind their sleeves. 

“I’ll send this one as your back up, ‘cause I know how soft you Konoha-nin are,” Zabuza says with a sneer in response to Haku’s gestures. Haku is Zabuza’s tool, and it relieves them to be able to directly observe the closest direct threat. 

Gato scoffs, “I’m not paying extra for the job.”

“Don’t worry,” Umino says, “I can split my commission in exchange for the support. What level of proof do you want that the mission was accomplished?” Umino doesn’t betray any bitterness about splitting his pay, and he discusses assassination with the politeness of a politician. 

“Depends on how soon you want your pay,” Gato says, “if you bring me his head I’ll pay you right away, but I’ll know for sure as soon as I move on Sora’s shipping routes. Go on, get.”

“Of course,” Umino says with a bow. Haku catches Zabuza rolling his eyes as they quickly follow Umino’s exit.

* * *

 

The Land of Waves is technically an archipelago, but only two of the islands have a large enough population to matter for travelers. Gato has claimed the Northern Island and subjugated the local port town into providing a rudimentary tax system. The Southern Island, located slightly deeper into the Eastern Sea, maintains a moderate port town for independent merchants attempting to avoid the longer inland routes. Gato has bought a large chunk of land and declared himself the new Daimyo of Wave, but ultimately that will be impossible to maintain without the cooperation of the different merchants used to using the route without any form of direct taxation. 

One such merchant is Ito Sora, who runs a violent fleet of about a dozen ships. Iruka remembers arguing about the prevalence of piracy along the Eastern Sea with Sarutobi, but the Hokage was very clear on his political stance. The destruction of Uzushio made it clear that Konoha could not maintain a naval presence without direct support from the Fire Daimyo. 

Umino travels at a moderate pace through the forest between Gato’s hideout and the Wave’s port town. “Excuse me, shinobi-san, but did you want to join me for information gathering, or wait at the town limits?”

The ninja keeps pace at Umino’s side with a silent flutter of their kimono. “Call me Haku,” says a low, soft voice. “I should be able to shadow you through the town without being noticed.”

Iruka nods and carefully henges into a nondescript sailor as they reach the edge of the town. Haku’s presence fades to the edge of Iruka’s awareness.  

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> In regards to the fight between Iruka and Haku, I tried to balance power levels as both of them being Chuunin level? Where Iruka is slightly more experienced but Haku has more 'talent'/power.


	5. Chapter 5

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This first scene features TW//Dubious Consent and TW//Graphic Violence involving Minor OCs. If you want to avoid that, please skip to the first Page Break line. 
> 
> Thank you for reading!

Information gathering is difficult. It doesn’t come naturally to Iruka to obfuscate and listen for clues after spending so much time being direct and genuine in the classroom and at the mission’s desk. Still, Iruka relies on old training, and port towns are naturally free with information. Iruka hears a rumour that Ito Sora is staying at the local whorehouse while pretending to be a sailor looking for work. 

He transforms into a rough looking young woman with painful memories of Naruto’s childish ‘Sexy Jutsu’. It's easy enough to pretend to be a woman from the Northern Island looking for work at the whorehouse, and in the process confirm that Ito Sora is present. 

Iruka sneaks back out and finds an empty alley to flag Haku down in. It is difficult figuring out how to communicate with the ninja when Iruka doesn’t know any Mist hand signs, but finally Haku stands in front of Iruka and he can whisper instead. 

“Ito Sora is in one of the upper rooms. I have his description,” Iruka says, “I’ll sneak in and finish the job, and then meet back up with you outside. Don’t come in unless you hear a fight.”

The mask they wear covers Haku’s expression. “Is there a reason I shouldn’t come in to cover you for real?” Haku asks. 

“I know how strong you are,” Iruka says, just like when he describes a rule to one of his students, “but a child shouldn’t have to see an assassination.”

Haku’s voice wavers between cold and amused, “A ninja is a tool made for killing, Umino. I have no problem completing an assassination.”

Iruka doesn’t say anything as he swallows that information. A child probably wouldn’t be a missing-nin as strong as Haku if they didn’t know how to effectively kill in practice. Iruka still doesn’t like it. 

“Ok,” Iruka says, “I understand.”

Iruka turns away and leads the way back into the whorehouse. When pretending to be a girl looking for work, Iruka knocked on the staff entrance at the back. He slips in through the front door to the bar room, where sailors are coaxed into buying drinks by juicy-girls. It’s easy to remain unnoticed when Iruka acts like he belongs in the public space and matches his movements to the people around him. 

The stairs in the corner lead to the private rooms available to be rented by the hour or for the night. Iruka doesn’t know how long Ito Sora will stay in the building. Iruka slips behind the bouncer at the stairway when they get distracted yelling that touching costs extra, and quickly moves into the shadows of the upper landing. 

The upper floor is a simple hallway with several doors on either side. Iruka doesn’t want to kill every man he comes across, but he isn’t sure that Ito Sora is the only man up here, either. He coughs and tries to lower his voice into the salt-weathered timbre of a Wave sailor. 

“Boss? Captain! You done in there, yet?” Iruka bangs on the first door and pitches his voice carefully through the crack in the door frame. The squeaking bedframe and breathy moans don’t stop, but what sounds like a sandal bangs against the thin wooden door. 

“Wrong room!” an irritated stranger shouts before being audibly distracted. 

Iruka moves on and repeats the same trick with the next door. Gato didn’t seem to care about discretion, and Iruka only cares in the sense that wants to avoid extra conflict. 

Finally, the noise of sex is instead replaced by a squeaky gag and a rough shout of “Why the hell are ya bothering me?” Iruka doesn’t bother answering and instead uses a kunai to jimmy the lock open. He ducks as he rushes into the small bedroom in case Ito is more clever than he expects. 

Ito Sora is not clever. He is kneeling, naked, on an old single bed with a long-haired woman on all fours in front of him. Her hair is roughly knotted in his hand, and he obviously just pulled her off at the interruption. 

Ito shouts in surprise as Iruka jumps up onto the bed and strikes with his kunai. He is careful not to turn his face or any other identifying features towards the woman. Ito’s body spasms, and Iruka drops it onto the bed. Gato doesn’t care about clean up. The woman starts screaming, and then suddenly stops. Iruka turns and sees that Haku stands over her body with a handful of senbon. 

“Did you,” Iruka asks, “kill her?”

“No,” Haku says calmly, “I just put her to sleep. Should we kill her?”

“No!” Iruka asserts. He keeps his voice quiet. “Let’s go; I can clean myself up outside.”

Haku lets Iruka lead the way. They have to sneak back out again, and there are no convenient windows to jump out from. Iruka keeps his hands steady. He knows how to kill people. He has done it before, when it was necessary for Konoha, even though it was never what Iruka was best at as a ninja. 

Ito Sora didn’t die for the good of Konoha. Ito Sora died because Gato wanted him dead, and was willing to pay someone to make it happen. Iruka has no justification for this murder. 

Iruka would do it again, to ensure his own survival until he can prove his innocence and return to Konoha.

* * *

 

The old lady with the dog and the garden asked for Team 7 to work for her again. It makes Naruto flush with pleasure to be appreciated, and he keeps up a stream of chatter about the different plants. The old lady obviously doesn’t understand what Naruto is telling her about the different uses of the plants in her garden, or how and when it is best to water them, but she hums along obliviously. Naruto helps direct her around a stray watering pot, and realizes that she must be losing her sight and hearing. 

“Naruto!” Sakura shouts, “leave the client alone, she’s trying to relax!” 

“I have to get to work!” Naruto says loudly to the old lady. “It was nice talking to you! Please ask for Team Seven again!” She smiles and coughs out an agreement. Naruto suspects she used to smoke heavily. He also suspects that she hasn’t realized who he is. 

Naruto jogs over to the plot of plants that Sakura is working in. She’s pulling up a fistful of stemmy flowers. “Sakura,” Naruto shrieks. He quickly drops to a carrying whisper, “quickly, put that back! The Old Lady won’t hire us again if she knows you ruined her feverfew!”

“This is a dandelion weed, Naruto,” Sakura says imperiously. “Now, if it's not a beautiful flower, pull it out of the garden, ok, Naruto?”

Naruto frowns at Sakura. There isn’t much use in arguing when usually she is right, and it is Naruto that is wrong. They finish the work quickly, and Sasuke even helps bag the plant debris for proper disposal. The Old Lady makes a show of checking that they are done before signing the mission scroll Sakura carries in confirmation.

“Now we turn this in at the mission office,” Sakura says, “Ok, Naruto?” Naruto sighs and tries to rub at the dirt he can feel crusted on his face. 

“I know,” he whines. 

“We can say Thank You to Mizuki-Sensei, too,” Sakura says. Naruto feels his gut freeze and he trips as he walks after Sakura. “You knew that there was something wrong with Iruka, right, Sasuke?”

Sasuke ignores Sakura’s question. Naruto feels nauseous. “What do you mean,” Naruto asks, “About Mizuki?”

Sakura sighs, and doesn’t look away from Sasuke to answer the question. “Mizuki was officially cleared for duty today. All our classmates were talking about how he is working at the Mission Desk.” 

Naruto can already see the Tower only a block away. The walk is too short, and he can’t stand the idea of seeing the traitor Mizuki. He has to. No one believed Naruto when he blamed Mizuki, and they won’t believe him until he becomes stronger. 

Its training. Naruto just has to imagine that he is training. He keeps silent while Sakura quietly relates gossip about their Academy Class to Sasuke. Naruto can feel every hair on his body bristle, and his gut is filled with an icy heat. He can’t say anything past the tension in his jaw. 

They walk into the Tower and find Bakashi-Sensei leaning against a wall with his porn book. The jounin looks up and waves them off to join the line to turn in their completed mission. Naruto counts the number of ninja in line ahead of him and carefully doesn’t look at who is sitting at the Mission Desk. 

“My favorite genin!” says a slimy voice, “How was the mission, Team 7?” Naruto can feel Mizuki’s eyes like the slimy feel of one of his own paint bombs. 

Sakura happily chatters with Mizuki and turns in the mission. The conversation scrapes against Naruto’s nerves. He digs his fingernails into his palms. He can see the staircase leading into the Administrative Offices, and further up to the Hokage’s Office. 

“I’ll be working the Mission Desk for the next week,” Mizuki says brightly, “so I will get to see you everyday when you turn in your D Ranks!” Naruto can’t breathe. 

“No!” Naruto shouts. Sakura elbows him in the gut for yelling inside, and Sasuke scowls. Mizuki looks politely confused. Naruto can see Bakashi-Sensei stepping forward with a put-out sigh from the corner of his eyes. “I’ve had enough of these boring D-Ranks,” Naruto whines, “don’t you think we deserve a real ninja mission.” 

Sakura is blushing in mortification and Kakashi is suddenly looming behind him, but Naruto can see that Sasuke looks interested. “We’ve learned everything we can inside the village,” Naruto pushes, “so give us a real mission.”

A sudden dry voice cuts through the curious silence of the mission room in response to Naruto’s fit. “A real mission, you say?” asks the Hokage. Sakura has noticed Sasuke’s interest and seems frozen between letting Naruto talk or stopping him. Sasuke is still watching Naruto sharply. 

“Naruto,” Bakashi-Sensei and Mizuki both say at the same time. Naruto cuts them off. 

“Yeah, old man,” He bounces forward to look up the Hokage like he used to when he imagined the Hokage as being his grandfather. “I’m ready to rescue a princess, or something!”

“Hmm,” the Hokage says teasingly. Naruto can taste victory slowly overtake the nausea in his stomach as he recognizes the Hokage’s expression. “I don’t have any princesses, but I do have one C-Rank that would be perfect for Team 7.”

“Yeah!” cheers Naruto with an exuberant jump. “I’m glad you’re seein’ reason Old Man!” He bounces in excitement, and carefully puts some space between him and the adults in the room. 

“Yes,” says the Hokage, “Allow me to introduce you to Tazuna the Bridge Builder, who has an urgent mission.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hmm~ 
> 
> I don't know when the next update will be, but I promise I'm not done with this story yet.


	6. Chapter 6

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I feel really good about this chapter! But it also really fought me, uh, organizationally?

While rarely officially discussed or pursued, every academy teacher had a prior specialization that shaped their approach to classes. Technically, specializations were strongly suggested for individuals as early as in the academy. If Naruto wasn’t the Jinchuuriki, then Iruka would have slotted him for a hunting and capture specialization. Iruka’s files list his specialization as General Fieldwork and Rudimentary Sealing. Mizuki was an Information Security and Counterintelligence specialist. They were assigned to co-teach the clan heirs so they wouldn’t interfere too much with any specializations being learned from home.

It's an odd sort of nostalgic nausea to match building security plans with Zabuza to memories with Mizuki. Iruka doesn’t sit down at the rough hewn table. A large sheet of parchment is rolled out, and Iruka has sketched out a rough map of the local terrain. Senbon pin down notable locations, such as Gato’s manor. Iruka doesn’t sit down, because no matter how familiar mission planning feels he is still surrounded by possible enemies.

Zabuza stretches a muscled arm over Iruka’s shoulder to point at the map. “You snuck over the water easily enough,” he says, “so why the hell would another Konoha shinobi choose to take a smuggler’s boat?” His shoulder and back is impossibly bulky to accommodate his obnoxiously sized weapon. Iruka forces breathe through his dry throat.

“I choose to water-walk as a lone missing-nin. Konoha shinobi would come to Wave in a squad of at least three,” he explains, “and be more concerned with conserving their strength for whatever their mission was than subtlety.” Zabuza straightens his stance, but leaves his arm leaning against Iruka. His face looks skeptical. “It's impossible to close off all smuggling or the entire water line, anyway,” Iruka defends, “and it's easier to keep track of the smugglers than the entire ocean.”

Zabuza snorts in reluctant amusement. “Fine,” he says, “I have men I can trust to manage at least that, and Gato made clear he’s paying me to actually see me working.” Iruka joins Zabuza in appreciating what a foolish handicap that actually is for a ninja assigned to guard duty. “Haku is the fastest; he can keep communication open between us all,” Zabuza continues, “And I’ll leave the opposite border to you; I don’t want you to have a sudden crisis of loyalty if you see an old friend from Fire.” Zabuza bares a teasing grin at Iruka. Iruka eyes the slice of his smile and sharp teeth. Iruka doesn’t say he hasn’t noticed any other shinobi hanging around.

“Don’t worry,” he deflects, “I know what my job is.” Iruka needs time to figure out a plan to prove his innocence. Iruka needs to figure out who Mizuki was stealing village secrets for. Iruka starts cleaning up the scraps of paper and weaponry spread across the table. “Do you have any way to keep an ear out for other missing-nin?” Iruka asks, “Despite our planning, I doubt any of the nearby villages would actually bother with Wave.”

Zabuza leans further into Iruka’s space. “I have my sources, but frankly we aren’t that close,” he answers, “yet.” Iruka pushes the fistfold of senbon in his fist against Zabuza's firmly formed chest to get some space.

"Based on the way you treat Haku," he says, "do I want to get that close to you?" The room is still. Iruka keeps his face down but keeps Zabuza in sight through his eyelashes.

"I'm ignoring the implication," Zabuza sneers, "because I'm just a nice guy like that." He stashes the senbon in an unseen pocket of his pants and retreats to lean his hip against the table. Iruka tracks the flex of Zabuza's muscles, but he isn't reaching for his longsword. "I treat the kid like the shinobi he is; and shinobi are just tools, Konoha."

"Like you just said," Iruka argues brazenly, "he's a kid! Humans aren't tools, no matter what their job may be!" Zabuza is completely still as Iruka argues to his face, but Iruka ignores the danger his body language signals to Iruka's training. "Besides, what use is a tool if you don't keep it maintained," Iruka mutters.

Zabuza glares for a moment. "I didn't want to debate life philosophy," he says, "I just wanted to keep my tool maintained, if you know what I mean." He walks out while Iruka is still flushed and stuttering.

* * *

 

At sunrise, Naruto springs out his bedroom window and scales the fire escape. He can just about leap across rooftops all the way to the gate where Bakashi told Team 7 to report for their mission. He didn't sleep all night. He kept thinking of Mizuki, standing in the same room as Naruto, and Iruka, lost somewhere outside of Konoha. He didn't sleep.

Konoha Proper is surrounded by an imposing, aged wall of solid wood. Parts of it intersect with patches of living forest inside the Village. It abuts against the sheer cliff face of the Hokage Monument. The Main Gate opens onto the well maintained lawns of Entrance Boulevard and the pretty facades of a handful of functionally useless government buildings.

Naruto drops into the shade of a tree and strolls casually for the last hundred or so meters to the actual gate. Every couple of steps the jittery energy in his gut drives him to bounce into the air, or strike a pose in a random direction. Naruto punches a young tree trunk and imagines he's hitting Mizuki's smug smirk from the mission room yesterday. He entertains himself by practicing a series of half-learned kata.

Naruto jerks awake to Sakura kicking him. "Did you sleep out here, idiot," she asks, "we still aren't supposed to meet for another hour." Naruto rolls to his feet and shakes the grass out of his hair. The sun has risen above Konoha's skyline. Naruto yawns in time with his growling stomach. Sakura frowns at him. "Here," she says. She holds out a buttery bread bun layered with sliced meat and cheese. "You can have my breakfast; my mom doesn't understand that I'm on a diet," Sakura explains.

Naruto beams at Sakura. She looks like an angel in the morning light. He scarfs down the food. "Do you think Bakashi is going to be late," Naruto asks.

"He can't!" Sakura growls. She only calls him sensei to his face. "We have an actual client waiting for us," she mutters.

"Yeah," Naruto cheers, "Tsutsu, or something, right? You think she's a princess?"

Sakura turns a quick glare onto Naruto. He watches the whip of her long pink hair, entranced. "Didn't you listen to the Hokage," she says, "We're escorting a bridge-builder named Tazuna Takeshi to the Land of Waves."

"Wow, Sakura," Naruto grins sheepishly, "you really do know everything!"

"Hn," Sakura replies derisively, but her face is covered in a pleased blush. She turns away from Naruto and starts scanning the road anxiously.

"Are you looking for the client?" Naruto asks.

"I'm looking for Sasuke," she answers distractedly, "I made him a bento and I wanted to give it to him before the mission started." Naruto frowns and slumps to sit cross legged in the grass.

They are positioned directly to the side of the main road. It will be impossible to miss Sasuke, even with the flow of random people entering and exiting past them. Naruto watches a heavily made-up women in a multi-layered kimono drift past on the arm of a merchant as a dirt covered farmer guides a pack-laden mule in the other direction. Sasuke drops down from a nearby rooftop. Naruto scowls at his blue silk shirt, and wonders whether he even has enough supplies in the small backpack he is carrying. Sakura and Naruto packed twice as much as Sasuke, each.

"Sasuke! I made this for you," Sakura says shyly. She presents the pretty lunch box with a carefully practiced flutter of her eyelashes. Sasuke doesn't quite sneer at Sakura, but the disdain in his eyes makes Naruto feel defensive on Sakura's behalf. He has dreamed of being given a bento!

"I don't need it," Sasuke declines. Sakura visibly wilts.

"Bastard-" Naruto begins to yell.

"My little students," Kakashi calls from the shadow of the gate, " I thought I told you to meet me here for a mission, not gossiping?" He smiles with his single visible eye.

"You're the last one here," Naruto mutters, "and we weren't even gossiping."

Kakashi makes a show of visibly ignoring how his students are disgruntled, and instead waves a hand to the older man standing next to him. "Allow me to introduce our client, Master Bridgebuilder Tazuna Takeshi. Please take care of him," Kakashi says. The man is broad and muscled in ways few ninja are.

Naruto has seen day-wage laborers with similar builds; including the sagging paunch of Tazuna's belly from drinking beer and sae like its water. "I thought I hired shinobi," Tazuna says, "not children." Naruto can tell that he already drank this morning by the smell of his breath as he talks.

Naruto scowls back at Tazuna. "Ya see these," Naruto says, pointing at his headband. "That means we are ninja! Not only that, but I'm gonna be the next Hokage! We can handle this mission no problem," he proclaims. Tazuna visibly doesn't believe Naruto.

Tazuna puffs up to start yelling like the merchant wives do when bargaining for discounts at the market. "You payed for a C Rank, sir," Kakashi cuts in, "so my team was assigned to your mission. If you expect a risk of enemy ninja on this mission, we can change the ranking and cost to a B rank, and you will be assigned a chunin team instead?" Tazuna visibly balks at spending more money. "But keep in mind that as a jounin, I am more than capable of handling any threats we may face," Bakashi says confidently. Naruto rolls his eyes as Tazuna scoffs in assent.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> (Iruka/Zabuza is one of my secret crack ships, shhh)
> 
> I think we will reach the climax of this arc next chapter? which I hope to post by the end of summer (august ish). and I have the next arc planned out as well.
> 
> Who wants to guess where Iruka will go next? and/or who he will meet!?

**Author's Note:**

> Hee, hee! I've had this percolating in my mind since August! This is gonna update very sporadically, and don't be misled by the Summary; the story is primarily Iruka's perspective, not Naruto's. 
> 
> Just to clarify, this diverges from canon in that 1) Iruka's injuries don't necessarily require hospitalization and 2) Naruto escapes but only long enough for Mizuki to spin things to the authorities. Then, Iruka becomes a missing-nin.


End file.
